Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) therapy is a safe, painless, and FDA-cleared treatment with zero downtime that is proven to be effective for conditions such as depression. Unlike other alternative treatments, TMS is non-invasive (does not require surgery or require anesthesia) and non-systemic (does not affect the entire body). TMS was originally developed in the 1980s as a brain mapping technique, then gained clinical interest from scientists. It was FDA-cleared in 2008 due to its significant ability to successfully treat clinical depression.

According to research, approximately 1 in 10 individuals in the US take some type of antidepressant medication. These medications work by chemically altering the amount of dopamine, norepinephrine, or serotonin available to the brain. Psychiatric drugs are systemic, meaning that they diffuse through your entire body and can result in numerous undesirable side effects including weight gain, fatigue, or sexual dysfunction.

Unlike antidepressants, TMS is a neuromodulation technique that changes the way the neurons in your brain fire and function. We like to think of it as physical therapy for your brain! This revolutionary treatment targets the precise neural circuits that are not working well in individuals with depression. Patients typically experience significant improvement within 2-4 weeks of starting TMS therapy, versus medications which can take 10 weeks to wield their full effect.

Since TMS has fewer side effects than anti-depressant medications and is well-tolerated without anesthesia, many individuals opt for TMS treatment as a first-line treatment, especially women who are breastfeeding. Plus, TMS therapy is covered by most insurance plans, which makes it an affordable option.

Though there are many effective treatments available for depression, there are times when the traditional approaches, such as therapy and antidepressant medications, simply do not work. Studies show that between 29% and 46% of depressed patients fail to respond to antidepressants! For these individuals, each new medication attempted is typically found to be even less likely to work than the previous one tried.

Considering that medications can take weeks or even months to exert their full effect, multiple failed attempts to treat major depressive disorder (MDD) with medications can add to the hopelessness already being experienced by depressed patients. That is why Bloom offers innovative treatment options that are scientifically proven to be effective at treating depression.

TMS achieves incredibly promising results when compared to traditional treatments, such as psychiatric drugs and talk therapy. Plus, TMS does not have the systematic side effects associated with many medications!

In most cases, medications and/or psychotherapy are the first intervention choice for depression. With that being said, there are many cases where these traditional approaches do not work. Symptom improvement can be painfully slow and many individuals experience unpleasant or severe side effects from the medications. TMS typically works in four weeks and has been found to be twice as effective as antidepressant medications.

If you are experiencing treatment-resistant depression, lingering depressive symptoms, or unwanted medication side effects, or if you want to supplement your current treatment plan, you may want to consider TMS therapy. Most insurance providers currently cover TMS for depression.

Wondering if you may be a candidate for TMS therapy? Ask yourself the following questions:

∗  Have you ever been diagnosed with one or more of the following conditions?

• • Clinical Depression
  • Major Depressive Disorder
  • Peripartum Depression
  • Postpartum Depression
  • Chronic or Treatment-Resistant Depression
  • Persistent Depressive Disorder
  • Severe Depression

∗  Have you tried medications to treat your depression?

∗  Have you experienced unwanted side effects from your depression medication?

∗  Are your depression symptoms interfering with your daily life?

∗  Are your symptoms negatively impacting your relationships with your family and friends?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, contact Bloom if you want to find out more about TMS and see if it may be right for you! You don’t have to suffer alone.

For individuals suffering from clinical depression, scientists have found that specific areas of the brain are typically underperforming. TMS therapy treats mental health conditions directly at the neurological source by targeting the area of the brain (the frontal cortex) that is underactive in people with depression.

TMS treatment involves stimulation of targeted, underperforming brain regions using gentle, noninvasive magnetic pulses to activate the frontal cortex and helps people process and utilize the chemicals in the brain (namely, dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin) that create happiness, motivation, and excitement.

Following TMS treatment, both neurotransmitter levels and nerve communication increase, leading to an increased improvement in symptoms and an improvement in the brain’s ability to regulate mood. After one just session, the brain’s level of excitability changes, though the changes are not typically noticeable by the patient until about 3 to 6 weeks of treatment sessions.